“Lost dog. He loves people. He is a white Westie-Cocker Spaniel mix. Please bring back my doggy. He has tags. He is very small. His name is Bolt. $10 reward,” reads Morgan Shope’s sign that she made after losing her very important pup in the Colonial Village neighborhood of South Knoxville.

The Shope family posted four of Morgan’s signs around their neighborhood hoping someone had seen Bolt after he went missing on June 12.

Passersby stopped and photographed the heartbreaking sign, which ended up on Facebook. From there, it quickly went locally viral, gaining hundreds of shares and even more comments on various community pages around Knoxville.

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“I was absolutely in awe of the attention Morgan’s signs received,” says Morgan’s mom, Fawn Shope. “I had no idea her precious sign would capture the hearts of so many people.”

The family has owned Bolt since he was a puppy and have watched Morgan grow up with the dog. The connection between 11-year-old Morgan and 6-year-old Bolt is undeniable.

“I liked to go on adventures with him,” says Morgan. “I liked to make stuff for him. I loved to snuggle him. I grew up with him and he’s a really nice dog.”

Bolt was aptly named because of his desire to run off easily, but has always ventured close by to visit other canine friends.

Bolt went missing on June 12 in Colonial Village.(Photo: Submitted)

“This isn’t his first adventure but he usually ends up at a neighbor’s home,” says Shope. “His doggy playmates reside there.”

But on June 12, Bolt was nowhere to be found.

“We were amidst renovations in our kitchen and Bolt must have decided to take off for an adventure,” remembers Shope. “The plumber was working on our kitchen sink and the door was open frequently that day.”

The fliers were Morgan’s attempt to try even harder to find her dog after learning that her mother’s post on a popular neighbor app, Next Door Neighbor, didn’t have any response.

Morgan’s sign hangs on a pole at the corner of Mayflower and Magazine Road, July 19th, 2018.(Photo: Submitted)

“Morgan knew I had posted information on the app but we hadn’t had any responses,” says Shope. “The signs were her idea! She is very creative.”

If you see a dog who fits Bolt’s description, please contact the family via email to fshope@gmail.com. He is a 6-year-old, 25-pound white dog.

“Please tell us where you saw him, maybe take some food to lure him to you because I really miss him,” urges Morgan.

And although the dog has now been missing for over a month, the family still has hope that someone is caring for him and can return him. Morgan has big plans for the day she can be reunited.

“I will give him a really big hug and kiss and spend as much time with him as possible.”